This plateau...is cracked

Sunday, August 23, 2009

It helps if you imagine me saying that in a Zelda Rabinowitz-like voice. Anyway, got on the scale this morning and I dipped a whole .8 of a pound below the lowest I've been since I started working out, so I take it to mean that I've leveled off to some degree on the muscle mass gain. I'll get more, of course, but I think I've pretty much stopped evenly trading off fat pounds for muscle pounds, which is good because it means I have a significant amount of energy-hungry muscle tissue now.

I'm boring you, aren't I? Never mind -- it's all good. And it probably helped that I spent most of yesterday disimpacting my office and reorganizing my closet, because I was on my feet and sweating for a good 6 hours or so, plus I now have a lovely office in which to work.

Next up -- the upstairs bathroom, and I think I'm gonna vacuum the stairs and wash the bedding. And write. And practice my viola. And work on some graphics for the day job. And work out with Stretch at 9 tonight. *blink*blink* This IS the weekend, right?

YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY!

Saturday, August 22, 2009

Okay, first off, downward motion HAS resumed, so that's a lovely thing to see.

Secondly, I stopped off at one of my favorite restaurants today to grab a quick lunch. I haven't been there in awhile due to Life Stuff(TM), so the hostess chatted with me for a bit while we headed to my usual table, then she looked at me closely and said, "You look good -- have you lost weight?"

Ohyeah. She is the first person to say that to me since June. The Bodacious Brit, bless his heart, simply doesn't notice things like that (which I suppose I should be grateful for), and while I can see the difference in the mirror, it's still nice to get outside confirmation that there have indeed been topographical changes and I'm not just imagining things.

Onward and downward!

Well, I WAS going to say that downward movement has resumed

Friday, August 21, 2009

But then I had dinner. And I suspect I blew anything I achieved today due to that.

It was damn good flatiron fish sticks and chicken caesar salad from Whole Foods, though. And I still hauled my ass out to the gym and lifted a myriad of weights, so that's all good. And as soon as the dye sets and I can wash my hair, I can actually go to bed at a reasonable hour -- go me!

The Master Bath

Sunday, August 16, 2009

Hot. Dripping with sweat. Putting stuff on and away. Listening to the B-52's FUNPLEX while I clean up the minor flood we had this morning (somehow one of the sinks that was draining slowly had filled up and gently slopped onto the floor -- got it drained, then poured most of a bottle of Drano Professional Gel down there for good measure. We shall not speak of this again).

My goal -- to take a bath in the Roman tub tonight. But first, I must clean off the paint spatters and general schmutz from the remod. And I have to go lift weights with Stretch at 9. Nonetheless, it shall be done, because I'm actually in shape to DO it.

Oh, yeah

I'm definitely putting on muscle mass. I got back from Austin and Armadillocon yesterday (hi Walt!), and went for a swim; not only am I significantly less buoyant than I was, but it's a lot easier for me to swim underwater (aka I'm not fighting my own body's flotation).

I also took a good look at pictures we were snapping at the Salt Lick yesterday. I'm still a broad broad, but that horrible soft bloaty look is gone -- I may have big arms, but they look like they could clout you a good one if you pissed me off. And my boobs look fantastic. :-) So, lack of movement on the scales isn't necessarily a bad thing.


And considering that I woke up this morning to find that one of the sinks in the master bathroom had mysteriously filled up and created a small flood, I will be cleaning and repairing things in there today, which should gain some workout points. Yay for me!

Reality Check

Friday, August 14, 2009

The downward trend on the scale has stopped dead in its tracks for the last couple of days, in part because I'm essentially allergic to being a girl and my body decides to retain water like a camel in the Sahara at both ends of my menstrual cycle, huzzah. In part, however, it's because I'm putting on muscle at the same time I'm losing fat, and muscle weighs more than fat. Intellectually I understand this, and that lack of movement on the scale isn't necessarily bad. Emotionally, though, I'm jumping up and down while calling the scale a lying motherfucker because I really want those numbers to continue dropping, dammit.

Humph. At least I can SEE that I'm putting on muscle. My clothes are fitting better, my calves are turning into lovely, well-defined things once again, my quads are getting stronger every day (seriously, you cannot imagine how happy I was when I got my butt to my heels for the first time a couple of days ago -- I couldn't have done that if you put a gun to my head two months ago), and I've moved up five pounds on a variety of exercises. I still don't see a lot of definition in my upper body, but let's be honest, I'm also carrying a hella amount of padding there. I do see the faintest of changes in my upper arms, shoulders and back, though, which is something, and my face doesn't look as bloated as it did back in June. The tummy -- yeah, well, that's usually the last to go, so I'll just live with it for now.

And I have to admit something -- my butt looks downright weird. I still have junk in the trunk, but I also have muscle back there now and it's pushing everything out and up. I'm guessing that's a self-correcting problem as I continue to work out, but I really do feel like I have a living bustle attached back there.

Thank you, Goddess of Sq’waht!

Monday, August 10, 2009

As of today, people, I did a full, honest-to-Cthulhu butt to the heels squat. Granted, I wasn't carrying any weight, and I did have to keep a couple of fingers on the kitchen countertop for balance, but compared to my sad and pathetic inability to go even to a 90 degree angle as of early July without feeling flares of agony in both knees, this is frigging marvelous.

And this, of course, is what comes of lifting 200 lb on the leg press for the last three weeks, plus adding more weight to the leg extensions and calf curls. Which I will continue to do, plus I can now add the squat into my leg routine (I may try a split squat or lunge next time, as well). Mellie is a happy iron-lifting camper, people, she truly is, because the squat is the queen of exercises -- you have to work so many muscles in order to keep proper form, you can't help but tone everything from your legs to your traps.

Huzzah!

In Montreal

Saturday, August 8, 2009

For Worldcon, and my dogs are barking after only one day. Nonetheless, I did a fair amount of walking back and forth to the Palais de Congress for the actual con, got footage of me reading "Lusts of the Cat Queen: A Dash Manning Adventure," actually had people come up and ask for my signature at the signing, got back to the hotel and took a very necessary nap (did NOT sleep very well last night due to paltry pillows -- got extras for tonight), then got up, lifted weights in the frankly pathetic hotel weight room, and walked over to the Old Port for dinner with friends. Said walk included two moderate hill climbs -- yes, I puffed like Thomas the Tank Engine, but only because I was keeping up with the three rapid walkers in my party.

All in all, I'd say I put in maybe an hour's worth of walking today, plus the weights, so while I don't think I stayed within my caloric limit I didn't go TOO badly over, and at least I moved my ass in appropriate ways. And now, shower and bed before I have to get up at Oh Dark Thirty for the flight tomorrow. Whee.

*sigh*

Wednesday, August 5, 2009

Got in the pool. Did 30 laps. The leg feels a little bit better. Still, why do I have to be such a klutz?

Goddammit!

Tuesday, August 4, 2009

Ouch. Was doing a set of inverse fly reps (where you bend over and lift dumbbells through the transverse plane -- it works your posterior deltoid, and I'm trying to hit each deltoid head on my Pull nights) and somehow tripped over the chair that I was kneeling on. I wound up throwing a weight across the room as I wobbled for balance, and whacked the inside of my leg right below my knee a good one. Stretch asked if I was all right, and I told her that it took YEARS of practice to achieve that level of grace. Hmmph.

Oh, and the area below the knee is now swollen and the bruising is already coming up, and I did something interesting to the side of my opposite foot so now I'm hobbling around like a Serbian grandmother. Fabulous.

On the up side, I can see the veins along the outside of my arm, now. They don't stick out or anything, but they're clearly visible beneath the skin. And I could be wrong but I thought I saw a brief flash of jawline tonight, as if it were waving at me saying, "I'm here! I know it's hard to see me, but I'm here!" I'm tempted to go jump in the pool for a bit -- that can help with bruising -- but I also have a shitload of writing that I'd really like to get done tonight, plus my bitch harpy of a Muse just dropped ANOTHER novel idea on my head, and I have to jot it down. You know you want my life.

Dripping mit der goo

Sunday, August 2, 2009

BUT -- the grass seed has been spread on the front lawn, the bushes are all trimmed, the crepe myrtle had the boughs that were threatening to block the front door cut back, everything's been watered, and the front gate is now in good repair once more.

Well, it's under triple digits, and we're heading into August -- I need to take the opportunity to do yard work before it turns into the surface of the sun out there. Besides, the exercise is good for me, and I still have to hit the gym at 7 tonight and do a leg workout with Stretch. Yay!